Jeru
The Jeru are a race of multiped humanoids from the planet Tosh. Biology The Jeru are large-bodied sentient multipeds, roughly humanoid in appearance with a distinctive vestigial "hump" on the back. The head itself features three pairs of facial tentacles enclosing a grinding maw and an internal beak used for ingesting food. The beak can deliver a powerful nerve toxin capable of felling the equivalent of an Earth bull elephant in only 10 seconds. Their precise anatomy isn't easily apparent as most Jeru wear clothing that tends to consist of a long thick robe encircling their entire body except for their head. Though relatively slow creatures, Jeru are physically very strong and possess multiple limbs including two arms with three fingered hands and two to five toe-less "legs" used for ambulation. Their hairless skin is extremely tough and thick and can be colored in pale mottled hues of grayish brown or green with blue patterns. Unlike most other races which reproduce through sexual coupling of males and females, Jeru have only one "gender" and instead reproduce asexually though a form of parthenogenesis. The Jeru anatomy does feature genitalia, located on the flanks of their massive torsos; however, they are solely for waste excretion. The Jeru do engage in forms of physical pleasure, though none can be considered sexual, at least as Humans would use the term. Despite this, individual Jeru have been known to engage in couplings with aliens, even going so far as to use "technological assistance" to compensate for any anatomical incompatibilities. Reproduction cycles for individual Jeru usually occur around once every five Earth years, during which the Jeru will develop six to ten nodes on their bodies which grow and eventually drop off, developing into young Jeru offspring. Infant Jeru are born with gills and so spend their first few years of life in seawater before gradually metamorphosing from the larval to the terrestrial form, losing the gills and developing air sacs instead. After emerging onto land and joining the community, a mature Jeru can reach an average height of 150 to 210 cm and an average weight of 67 to 157 kg. The Jeru are carrion eaters, subsisting exclusively on dead putrefying animal flesh, of just about any creature, alien or otherwise, including mammals, reptiles and birds, though not saltwater fish. Feeding usually takes the form of a once weekly gorging on carrion, preferably "five days dead and decayed" (a sight most other races consider extremely unpleasant if not utterly horrifying). Their ability to eat such a wide variety of organic matter stems from their upper intestinal system which can destroy harmful bacteria on a selective basis, making them extremely resistant to bacterial infection. They also have a type of drink called Rmm*zzq!wwx, which roughly translates as "Roadkill Malt". Humans are advised to avoid sampling at all costs. Despite their wide-ranging diet, not everything is acceptable to the Jeru. As a biological precaution, should they ingest anything their digestive system cannot safely process (for example, inorganic compounds), their systems forcefully regurgitate it. Though often overlooked because of their perceived lazy and obnoxious personalities, Jeru are extraordinarily intelligent and extremely curious. Jeru eyes can only perceive the infra-red spectrum and as such see the world around them as blobs of varying heat. Though not true amphibians like the Boray, Jeru do breathe water for several years while in their larval state, though they lose this ability when they mature into air breathers. However, once developed their air sacs can process a number of atmospheres including oxygen/nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Government The Jeru operate under a unique form of government, perhaps best illustrated by the Jeru saying that roughly translates as "Jeru, all same, all different." While it is difficult for some races to comprehend, understanding this philosophy is essential to understanding the Jeru government. For example, when other races made first contact with the Jeru they naturally requested to speak with their leadership and were presented with an elderly Jeru named something which sounded roughly like "Ssh'ssh'ya'ssh". The next time audience with the Jeru leader was requested they were shown to yet another Jeru with an entirely different name. It didn't take long to realize that the Jeru had no concept for "leader" or "ruler" and that anyone that wished to can speak for the entire race, since Jeru are all the same. However, since they are all also different, the "spokesman" can take no action on anything until ALL Jeru everywhere consider the subject. In time the alien governments discovered that they could deal with specific groupings among the Jeru and actually achieve what passed for treaties that would be honored by the next group to fill that task. Although the Jeru are a spacefaring species, they only established a few mining outposts and an agricultural colony. Culture Possessing no concept of marriage, Jeru generally live alone. Jeru habitats are usually natural rather than fabricated structures: caves, grottoes, etc. A clustering of these habitats forms a sort of a village; each of these has gathering places in which tasks are divided up by mutual agreement. In this way one group of Jeru may agree to provide food, another may build, a third may engage in research, a fourth in teaching, and so on. Whatever the tasks at hand, they are worked at diligently and for however long they may take. After completion there is rest and meditation and discussion until needs arise again and the Jeru again gather to divide the tasks; however, they may fall to different Jeru than the previous time. Once or twice each Jeru year the inhabitants of a village will gather at a designated location to discuss their lives and share any new knowledge gained. Once every five years, all Jeru journey to a massive plain to do likewise on a much larger scale. When alien races finally realized that the Jeru are an almost completely task-oriented society it made interaction with them possible. For example, traders in foodstuffs found that a bargain with whatever group was dealing with food production at the moment would be honored by whatever group took on the task next. This has led to speculation that the Jeru possessed a hive mind. But research showed that this was untrue. In essence, the Jeru have a hive-mentality; they do share all of their knowledge, but it's through discussion, not an automatic process. Many have also believed that the Jeru are telepathic within their own species but the fact that they have a very complex spoken language tends to belie that theory. Because of the shape of their mouths, they are unable to form words in the same manner that other races speak. Religion The Jeru have no organized religion at all. If anything could be considered sacred to them, it would be the idea. They believe thought is the spirit. Despite this, Jeru believe that they are naturally superior to other beings, or roughly translated "chosen of god, very special". On rare occasions they also partake in what passes for religious ceremonies, one of which involves communal singing. Giving its rarity there is very little literature on the subject although those that have witnessed it claim that (surprisingly) the song is a beautiful sound full of sadness and hope and wonder and a terrible sense of loss. It is perhaps because of their beliefs and their superior attitude that most other races consider them to be, among other things, slow, selfish, greedy, obnoxious, stubborn and not very bright. As a result of this, along with their diet and the associated aroma, they are often socially shunned and ignored by other races; though they are on many alien worlds trading, they are effectively invisible. Language History *